Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[BantyChooks]

No fair, you guys... I had some of the most broody breeds you can find (orpington, buff brahma) and they still stayed stubbornly UN-broody. Sigh. I love hatching out chicks and I don't have an incubator, so that's the only way. My only silkie turned out to be a rooster too...

An update on the roosters I mentioned earlier: I gave them away with full disclosure of all their issues and the guy still wanted them, so he took those 2 roosters and 12 of my spent laying hens. Thanks for the help everyone, and I'll probably come back if I have any more extra cockerels.

 

[chicken pickin]

Your WRs look good! I just recently processed 5 of my extra BR makes, they were a great size and good eating, they were just over 5 months. I have 4 BR males left to give more time mature and will cull 2 of them around Christmas time ish, and save the other 2 for breeding. I'm looking forward to eventually processing some BR hens as well, they have large full breasts. My plan is to use my BRs as my main source of chicken meat.

Here are my current males

One day I would love to learn about canning chicken. My family doesn't raise their own food, fish or hunt, my dh and I are the only ones that do so we are learning as we go.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Well...got my chicken killin' done for the season and am just finishing up the canning. Not a bad turn out, all the cockerels had tons of fat, not something I'm used to seeing on roosters, especially free range. This cockerel band ate almost entirely off of range and lived out in the honeysuckle thicket, only came into roost...to be this fat on foraged foods speaks highly of their foraging ability and the availability and quality of our range.

A total of 37 qts of chicken from 10 roosters, packed tight, and three qts. of squirrel. I added some fat and organs to the jars of squirrel to give them some more fats in the broth. Should all be excellent eating...clean, young, flavorful meat.

The new pup looked pretty gory, with blood spattered all over his head and face...that greedy thing gulped 7 chicken legs, four heads and licked up all the blood. Now, that's what I call feeding raw!

Old Jake only got one leg.

The house smells of chicken stock and it feels good to have all that meat stored back for the winter. I still have plenty of jars from last year so I have a goodly amount of chicken on the shelf....12 qts from last year at current counts, 2 qts of rabbit, 12 qts. of deer, 1 qt. of squirrel already on the shelves. That gives me a total of 67 qts. of various meats on the shelf after tonight's canning, taken right off this land.

Considering Mom and I aren't real big meat eaters(maybe once a week in the winter, less in the warm months), that's a full on plenty and should be enough to feed any family and company who come to call or to share with the same.

Y'all don't know what you are missing if you aren't eating your own home raised meats...there's nothing to compare with them in any store. So much flavor, so very healthy and organic....and so very cheap.

WOW that made alot of jars! impressive! poor old JAKE!! I would love some canning tips any time you have time! This was my first MEAT canning and it was a success but omg I read about failures, now I know why nana only did veggies and stuff, the hot water boils! lol but I was lucky I do my homework FIRST I guess! lol but seriously can we get into a discussion when you have time? my pressure canner was amazing, but I pressure cook all the time, so that helped I guess I wasnt afraid of the thing in the least! I just wish I had two of them! it would help to get things done quicker, and I wish I had my old coal cookstove at my X's

I miss that thing NOW!!!!

WOW!!! Those roosters look better than anything I've ever seen in regards to WRs....who's line are those out of????

X2 WOW is an understatement!!! and 6 months???? seriously????

aww no fair you guys.....*sniffle* I had some of the most broody breeds you can find (orpington, buff brahma) AND NONE OF THEM WENT BROODY!! I love hatching out chicks and i don't have an incubator, so that's the only way!! (i'm hoping my new batch of layer pullets are broodies!) my only silkie turned out to be a roo too...
an update on the roos I mentioned earlier: I gave them away with full disclosure of all their issues and the guy still wanted them, so he took those 2 roos and 12 of my spent laying hens. Thanks for the help everyone, and I'll probably come back if I have any more extra cockerels if as if mentioned before one of my pullets goes broody.

Bubbles there is nothing to make a coolerbator, and hatching chicks is such thrilling experience! you should do it, I am certain you would thoroughly ENJOY hatching chicks!!! and you have us to help you through, and I even can help you if you have questions on the build and incubating! I only offer that a few times on here

ask anyone

about silly sally

Your WRs look good! I just recently processed 5 of my extra BR makes, they were a great size and good eating, they were just over 5 months. I have 4 BR males left to give more time mature and will cull 2 of them around Christmas time ish, and save the other 2 for breeding. I'm looking forward to eventually processing some BR hens as well, they have large full breasts. My plan is to use my BRs as my main source of chicken meat.

Here are my current males






One day I would love to learn about canning chicken. My family doesn't raise their own food, fish or hunt, my dh and I are the only ones that do so we are learning as we go.

You must do it too, this was my first batch and I did it! who better to learn with, we have all the help we have here! it was easy!!! you need a pressure canner that holds quart jars. and some people to ask that will answer... and some meat..... what you waiting for??? oh and those birds were 5 months! I am sooo raising the wrong birds, I need to figure out what to switch out with soon!!!











WHICH REMINDS ME.....QUESTION TO ALLL.....

remember when I got the Cornish X 10 weeks ago, I got 8 bantam DARK CORNISH? How big should they get before I process them? at what age/weight I just started to let them out in the run as they had been picked on before. Now they can fend a bit.

 

[chicken pickin]

You must do it too, this was my first batch and I did it! who better to learn with, we have all the help we have here! it was easy!!! you need a pressure canner that holds quart jars. and some people to ask that will answer... and some meat..... what you waiting for??? oh and those birds were 5 months! I am sooo raising the wrong birds, I need to figure out what to switch out with soon!!!

Yes I processed at 21weeks of age, and these males pictured are now 23weeks old. These BR are the largest breed I have ever raised and are my favorite. They are from good breeder stock, not hatchery birds, so the size is just amazing (in my opinion).

 

[BantyChooks]

WOW that made alot of jars! impressive! poor old JAKE!! I would love some canning tips any time you have time! This was my first MEAT canning and it was a success but omg I read about failures, now I know why nana only did veggies and stuff, the hot water boils! lol but I was lucky I do my homework FIRST I guess! lol but seriously can we get into a discussion when you have time? my pressure canner was amazing, but I pressure cook all the time, so that helped I guess I wasnt afraid of the thing in the least! I just wish I had two of them! it would help to get things done quicker, and I wish I had my old coal cookstove at my X's

I miss that thing NOW!!!!

X2 WOW is an understatement!!! and 6 months???? seriously????


Bubbles there is nothing to make a coolerbator, and hatching chicks is such thrilling experience! you should do it, I am certain you would thoroughly ENJOY hatching chicks!!! and you have us to help you through, and I even can help you if you have questions on the build and incubating! I only offer that a few times on here

ask anyone

about silly sally

You must do it too, this was my first batch and I did it! who better to learn with, we have all the help we have here! it was easy!!! you need a pressure canner that holds quart jars. and some people to ask that will answer... and some meat..... what you waiting for??? oh and those birds were 5 months! I am sooo raising the wrong birds, I need to figure out what to switch out with soon!!!











WHICH REMINDS ME.....QUESTION TO ALLL.....

remember when I got the Cornish X 10 weeks ago, I got 8 bantam DARK CORNISH? How big should they get before I process them? at what age/weight I just started to let them out in the run as they had been picked on before. Now they can fend a bit.

I've only hatched 3 chicks before, and that was almost by accident under a broody I had. The chickens were actually my neighbor's back then but I was their caretaker. I've always thought that incubators looked awful hard to mantain correct tempature and humidity in, while broodies are automatic. I'll go look at the learning centre articles on incubating now..... that sounds really cool.

But don't start me going, please, I'm already an addict and I've only had three.

DIY incubators here I come!

 

[fisherlady]

WOW that made alot of jars! impressive! poor old JAKE!! I would love some canning tips any time you have time! This was my first MEAT canning and it was a success but omg I read about failures, now I know why nana only did veggies and stuff, the hot water boils! lol but I was lucky I do my homework FIRST I guess! lol but seriously can we get into a discussion when you have time? my pressure canner was amazing, but I pressure cook all the time, so that helped I guess I wasnt afraid of the thing in the least! I just wish I had two of them! it would help to get things done quicker, and I wish I had my old coal cookstove at my X's

I miss that thing NOW!!!!

X2 WOW is an understatement!!! and 6 months???? seriously????



WHICH REMINDS ME.....QUESTION TO ALLL.....

remember when I got the Cornish X 10 weeks ago, I got 8 bantam DARK CORNISH? How big should they get before I process them? at what age/weight I just started to let them out in the run as they had been picked on before. Now they can fend a bit.

They were 6 months in the 2 last pics, tall and lanky but you can tell the hadn't developed the chesty appearance or the broad shoulders they have this summer (which is when most of the other pictures are from) they really begin to get a nice 'finished' look to them after about 8-10 months, though I would be just fine with processing extras at 5-6 months because they are still way beyond average large fowl cockerels of the same age.

I have only ever seen cornish bantams, did not handle them to get an idea on breast meat vs body size. You processed quail, so I would do like you did for judging them for butcher date and base it on comparison handling and weighing them for a few weeks. When they seem to quit growing or slow down substantially then it is time to do them.

Yes I processed at 21weeks of age, and these males pictured are now 23weeks old. These BR are the largest breed I have ever raised and are my favorite. They are from good breeder stock, not hatchery birds, so the size is just amazing (in my opinion).

They are looking good, we also have breeder quality BR and they are much better for frame and weight than the hatchery stock we had a few years ago, though to be fair we only raised one group from a single hatchery source, other hatcheries may have better sized stock.

 

[ChicksAre4Kids]

Is there anywhere here to give away free roos? I have a 6, 7 month old HUGE brahma (purebred) that I've had on CL and everything, but no takers. He's handsome and large and would be a GREAT breeder or a delicious dinner. The emotional thing is the problem here as the wife won't eat it if I cull it and I actually kinda like the big dummy, but he's a danger to 3 of HER little ones, sooooo he's in the old coop by himself now waiting for a decision. I'm in SW MI. if anyone can help? Is this allowed here? If not, feel free to remove/move it as necessary.

Thanks Everyone!

 

[chicken pickin]

Is there anywhere here to give away free roos? I have a 6, 7 month old HUGE brahma (purebred) that I've had on CL and everything, but no takers. He's handsome and large and would be a GREAT breeder or a delicious dinner. The emotional thing is the problem here as the wife won't eat it if I cull it and I actually kinda like the big dummy, but he's a danger to 3 of HER little ones, sooooo he's in the old coop by himself now waiting for a decision. I'm in SW MI. if anyone can help? Is this allowed here? If not, feel free to remove/move it as necessary.

Thanks Everyone!

You could also try posting in the rehoming section https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/16182/animals-in-need-of-free-re-homing

 

[OneMountainAcres]

One day I would love to learn about canning chicken. My family doesn't raise their own food, fish or hunt, my dh and I are the only ones that do so we are learning as we go.

Same here. Both of our families are like that and thought we were strange when we first started. My mom still insists thar we should send or birds to a butcher instead of doing it ourselves. The Internet has helped us so much with learning how to can things. At this very moment, I have green beans and a jar of stock in the pressure canner finishing up and pumpkin getting ready to go in next. Chicken was done last week

 

[ChicksAre4Kids]

TY for that link, I see it now, wayyyyyy down at the bottom of the first page! Sorry to bother here.